In the general art actually used by most fishermen, catfish are generally directly clubbed with a hammer, which usually just stuns them, and then skinned alive, which to some degree is painful for the fish and very often the person doing the skinning. If the fish is flopping around while being skinned, the pectoral and dorsal fins of the fish can cause a very painful puncture wound to the skinner.
A number of devices for holding a fish for its killing and/or skinning or scaling have been suggested in the prior art. Some prior patents which are considered at least generally pertinent to the invention are listed below:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Inventor(s) Issue Date ______________________________________ 1,132,417 Alexander 03/16/15 2,523,736 Swetlik 09/26/50 2,741,061 Harrison 04/10/56 2,932,849 Missman 04/19/60 3,447,200 Madre 06/03/69 3,713,188 Holladay 01/30/73 3,878,586 Hoppert et al 04/22/75 4,127,919 Buddecke 12/05/78 4,977,644 Evans et al 12/18/90 ______________________________________
The most pertinent patent to the present invention appears to be the patent to Buddecke (U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,919) which is directed to a "combined catfish killer and holder". At one end of the device's base board is a squared-off, horizontally "U" shaped positioner 14 into which the fish's head is generally positioned. A spike 18 is thereafter pushed down through the fish's head and once so ". . . safely impaled the catfish is generally killed quickly . . . ." In this action "the spike 18 is caused to enter the head of the fish and in the proper placement is driven through the head of the fish to kill it as efficiently as possible." After the fish is impaled, the fish is skinned and cleaned using a sharp knife.
In comparing the Buddecke device to the invention, the Buddecke squared-off positioner 14 would not nearly as accurately and automatically position the brain of the fish under the path of travel of the spike, as occurs in the invention with its use of a vertically disposed "V" shape holder or other inwardly, downwardly converging shaped holder located preferably in the same plane as the spike's vertical travel, with the backsides of the fish's pectoral fins positioned against the distal side of the holder. This approach of the invention provides a much more accurate positioning of the fish's brain under the spike due to its proximity to the path of spike travel and the use of the fish's adjacent pectoral fins in the positioning step, while the Buddecke positioner, using only the tip of fish's head for relatively loose positioning, does not as accurately take into account the size of the fish and also allows for more inaccurate positioning in the crucial placement of the fish's head with respect to the spike's path of travel, which in Buddecke is arcuate about a hinge pin.
Thus, there are significant differences between the invention and the Buddecke device. Also one very practical, important difference between the invention and the Buddecke approach is that the invention is proven and works, effectively providing "all" catfish with the same precise killing and holding capability, while Buddecke fails in these respects.
As can be seen from a review of the above listed patents, there are a number of other devices that use a spike or other pointed, fish piercing member(s) to affix a fish to a board for killing and/or skinning or scaling it, with each of the above listed patents being directed to one form or another of this approach, some being hand-held while others are carried by the device typically with arcuate movement. With respect to other, exemplary, prior art devices which pierce the head of the fish, note, for example, the patents to Missman (U.S. Pat. No. 2,932,849), Harrison (U.S. Pat. No. 2,741,061) and Madre (U.S. Pat. No. 3,447,200). However, the invention likewise has significant structural and methodological differences over these references, including at least the vertically "V" shaped, three (3) "point" holding/positioning of the fish discussed above with respect to the Buddecke patent and the methodology of use of the invention, including inter alia the placement of the pectoral fins of the fish back against the distal side of the "V" shaped holder for "automatic" placement of the preferred vertically moving spike directly over the brain of the fish.
The present invention is thus directed to overcoming and avoiding the deficiencies of the prior art, and particularly providing enhanced, firm holding of the fish, while also providing automatic positioning of the brain of the fish directly beneath the killing spike.